Improved crime clearance and theft stats attributed to full-time plainclothes officers

Source: TheMayor.eu

Numbers from the city of Potsdam in Germany reveal an improvement in bicycle theft crime clearance rate of 38% compared to 2022, or in other words, 1 in 3 cases of bicycle theft are classed as solved. The news marks a great improvement on the previous year’s clearance rate for this category of 5%.

These improvements are most likely thanks to the city’s deployment of full-time, plainclothes officers from the local police force, in a now permanent team. The move was driven by the development of bicycle theft into a more serious and organised industry. Increased surveillance and attention to the matter enables better identification of perpetrator groups, crime scenes and patterns, which in turn inform appropriate preventative measures.

Following the introduction of the officers, bicycle thefts fell by 729 units since 2022, indicating that the approach has made bicycle theft a more risky or less attractive crime.

Though the majority of stolen bicycles are not recovered, the work has still proven valuable in identifying individuals and criminal groups, leading to wider benefits. With the continued rise in popularity of e-bikes, which command higher prices, results and reports on anti-theft strategies are beneficial.